It has been two months since California started sending out the latest round of its state stimulus checks to over 60% of its residents. This is the third round of payments by the Golden State following the pandemic. and while the earlier two rounds were relief directly linked to the pandemic and the recession that followed.
But the third round of the California stimulus check was given to help residents cope with rising prices that have touched record levels in the space of one year. the Middle-Class Tax Rebate was sanctioned as part of the state budget as prices of all products and services climbed steadily through 2022 to surpass the 4-decade-old record.
The stimulus checks varied in payments from $200 to $1,050 dependent on the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for the California state income tax returns for 2020, the filing status, and the presence of dependents. The last date for filing the 2020 income tax returns for California was October 15, 2021.
Residents were eligible for the Middle-Class tax rebate if they have an AGI for 2020 which is less than $250,000 for individual filers and double that for married couples filing jointly.
If you are yet to receive your Middle-Class Tax Refund, then you should expect an early present for September. The latest round of stimulus checks was sent out this week in the form of direct transfers and debit cards. People with names starting with A through K will be the first to receive the payments.
Millions of residents of California are receiving the state benefit which is helping to offset the record prices of cola, and grocery, and has affected even tourism, and travel in the country. The tax rebate is a one-off payment with amounts up to $1.000 and depends on the circumstance of the individual. The amount decreases with an increase in the AGI and was divided into three tiers of payments.
Resident income tax filers with an individual AGI of $75,000 or less with get $350 plus another $350 if they declare any dependent. For joint filers with an AGI of $150,000 or less, both filers will get $350 each plus another $350 if they include any dependent. Filers in the latter category stand to gain $1,050, the highest amount possible under the Middle-Class Tax Rebate.
The second tier is for individual filers with an AGI of between $75,001 and $125,000. They will get a stimulus check of $250. For joint filers with an AGI of between $150,001 and $250,000, the stimulus check is $250 for each filer plus another $250 if they include any dependent. The highest amount possible under this tier is for joint filers with a dependent which is $750.
The highest tier is for filers with an individual AGI of between $125,001 and $250,000 and joint filers with an AGI between $250,001 and $500,000. They will get a stimulus check of $200 each plus an identical amount for any dependents. The maximum total possible in this tier is $600.
Around 23 million residents of the Golden State are expected to benefit from this program, according to figures released by the Franchise Tax Board of the state of California. The one-off payments are issued in the form of direct deposits or debit cards and first started to be distributed first in October this year.
The MCTR Stimulus Checks Is Sending Debit Cards Instead Of Paper Checks
The initial round of payment went out to residents who had received direct bank transfers for the Golden State stimulus check I or II. They received the Middle-Class tax rebate also as a direct transfer to their bank account.
The next round of payments went out to residents who filed their earlier rounds of state income tax returns online. They also received their payment direct through transfers.
Residents who filed offline, or paper returns, will receive their stimulus checks through debit cards delivered by the US postal service. Residents who received the payment say that the payment will be of immense help in paying their gasoline bills.
But they say that till the price of gas comes down in the state to at least the national average state, this phase of desperation will continue for California residents.
They say that cutting the gas tax in California, at least temporarily, is a good idea because if the government takes into account the costs incurred to set up rebates, and send the checks or debit cards by mail, stamps, and envelopes millions spent more. A much easier solution is to do a general tax cut across the board to bring down the cost of gas, they suggest.
Debit cards will normally take around two weeks to arrive through the US Postal Service while it takes only three to five days for the direct deposit process to be completed. Close to 95% of all payments are expected to be completed by the end of the year through direct transfers and debit cards.
The Franchise Tax Board has informed us that they expect the whole process to be completed by January 14, 2023, the last date that had earlier been listed by the tax board.
The state’s tax board has issued a schedule for the payments being issued through debit cards and direct deposits. It has informed that it has issued 4.5 million deposits by the end of the first months of payments. Another 905,000 debit cards were also mailed by this date.
The debit card payments will be normally mailed to residents who did not e-file their 2020 state tax returns and received their tax refund by direct deposit.
The debit card will go out if filers have filed paper returns, had any balance due, received their Golden State stimulus check payment by paper check through the US postal service, and received their tax refund by check, irrespective of the tax filing method.
Residents who received their tax refund for 2020 by direct deposit but have changed their baker or their bank account number, and filers who received an advance payment from their tax service provider or paid their tax preparer fees using this tax refund will also receive a mailed debit card.
The tax rebate debit cards for residents who received the Golden State stimulus checks were expected to be mailed between October 24 and December 10, 2022.
